“He’s married,” she sighed. “I woke his wife up one time when I called, maybe twice,” Tasha said, thinking Jim was way off the mark on any designs Jerome Stewart might have on her.
“Irrespective of his marital status you make yourself look available and you make me look a dick when you do those things, so it needs to stop.” He was calm still, but very serious.
A pout formed on Tasha’s lips.
He laughed at her, slightly disbelievingly. “Oh, baby, you have sealed your own fate. Show me where this shower that will force a tight squeeze is.”
****
When Lucy and Ryan returned Jim had changed into blue jeans and a white t-shirt and looked absolutely gorgeous, and smelt just as good as he looked. Tasha was wearing jeans and a semi translucent white blouse with a white camisole underneath. She’d avoided trainers, instead opting for strappy sandals.
“Pub and a kebab on the way home, is it?” asked Ryan of Tasha.
“Whatever suits you, my grandma served huge portions at lunchtime.”
“What is the shampoo you use?” Ryan asked Tasha. “It makes my hair really shiny.” He stroked his hair to Tasha’s amusement.
“About thirty-five quid a bottle.”
“Shit! No wonder it shines.” He laughed as he went to get changed.
“Sorry about the shampoo,” said Lucy. “And the amount of space he has taken over in the bathroom.”
“Yeah he has left me the edge of just one shelf.” She smiled, but was slightly put out.
“I will get him to move some of his stuff,” Lucy offered.
“Don’t worry about it.” Tasha realised she’d need very little bathroom space when she was in L.A. and also thought her mild irritation was probably more about her own feeling of frustration rather than lack of shelf space.
Ryan appeared with a clean t-shirt and grabbed his wallet. “Come on then, the first round is on me and my shiny hair.”
Throughout the night Tasha found Ryan to be charming, funny and very attractive. She could certainly see why Lucy had fallen so hard for him. He regaled them with serious stories of fire rescues and also the silly side of his job.
They had a really nice night together and Tasha was pleased the conversation had been light and easy. Jim seemed to be genuinely relaxed and as they walked back to the flat, via the kebab shop he looped an arm around her waist and held her tightly.
Once back home, Lucy insisted on opening a bottle of wine and after a couple of glasses told Tasha, “I did a designer shoot with Jake on Friday and you will never guess who our lead model was.”
Tasha shrugged as she draped her legs across Jim.
“Tyler,” shrieked Lucy.
Tasha looked at her nervously. “That’s nice.”
“Who’s Tyler?” asked Ryan.
“Just an old friend,” said Tasha with false nonchalance.
“And then some,” said Lucy laughing. “Everyone we knew was so jealous of Tash when she was seeing Tyler. He is absolutely gorgeous and he was so into our Tasha.” She laughed at her unplanned double entendre.
Tasha leapt to her feet. “But, Tasha wasn’t that into him and it seems a very long time ago. I think I might go to bed.” She looked at the clock but didn’t register the time after glaring at Lucy.
“Yeah, me too. I’m on an early shift in the morning.” Ryan was already standing.
“Look at the mess,” shrieked Lucy as she took in leftover food, dirty plates and glasses.
“Leave it. I’ll do it in the morning,” said Tasha, just wishing her friend and her boyfriend away.
“Thanks, Tash,” Lucy said before Jim stood up and followed Tasha into her bedroom.
He shut the door behind them and watched as Tasha flapped around the room full of nervousness and apprehension. “I like Lucy, but she is very indiscreet. Tyler? One of your one-night stands?”
“More a two week stand really,” she admitted.
“You think I’m pissed off about it?” He closed the distance until he was stood before her, hoping to remove the wary expression she wore.
“I know you know about my past, but Lucy announcing it like that? Yes, I think it pisses you off.”
“Maybe, but I’m not pissed with you about it,” he said, undoing the buttons on her blouse.
****
Tasha woke up to the sound of her message alert the following morning.
She grinned down at the text. She really was looking forward to being in L.A. with him. He was more relaxed when she was in the same place as him meaning he was more fraught and prone to swinging moods when they were on opposite sides of the Atlantic.
Another message instantly followed.
Tasha laughed, but replied to avoid real annoyance.
She climbed out of bed and threw on a t-shirt and leggings before starting the task of tidying up from the previous night. She took the rubbish out and got stuck on the stairs courtesy of delivery men with a huge bed being taken into the flat next door. One of the men apologised as she found herself squashed by
the mattress on the stairs.
She smiled at him, it was just circumstance rather than any intent on the man’s part that saw her in this position. “It’s not the first time I’ve been trapped on a mattress.”
She giggled as he freed her. It was a good job Jim wasn’t there, it would definitely be deemed as inappropriate as far as he was concerned.
She finished cleaning the kitchen and plumped all of the cushions and dusted before vacuuming the floor. After making the bed she found something to wear and showered before booking her flight to L.A. for the following Thursday, first class and used Jim’s card to pay for it. She knew that would make him happy, she would make him happy by complying with what she knew he would want.
Her phone beeped with a simple message.
With a giggle she dressed quickly in what the assistant had called a black scalloped lace up merry-widow and as she slipped a pair of black peep toes on she decided it made her look ultra-sexy with a purple lace trim detail at the cups and waist and a ruffle trim. She slipped on the matching g-string and looked at her reflection again and grinned. Men had always found her attractive, but when she was described as beautiful she thought it was a step too far, but since knowing Jim he really had made her feel beautiful. The way he enjoyed her body, like nobody ever had before. He was gorgeous, successful, funny, clever, articulate and sexy as fuck, and could have had just about anyone he wanted, so why had he chosen her as his lucky number seven? Especially when she managed to piss him off so easily. She didn’t care why, she was just glad he had and she really couldn’t wait to be with him every day, to share his house and his bed.
The intercom buzzed making her jump.
“Hello,” she answered having virtually run to answer it.
“Hey baby,” he replied.
She pressed the door release button and opened the front door before returning to the kitchen where she nervously waited for him to appear. The sound of the front door shutting set off dozens of butterflies in her stomach.
“Very nice, very sexy,” he said as walked towards her, drinking in what she wore.
“As you requested.”
He had her crushed against the kitchen counter now, “And the blindfold?” he asked, pushing his groin, and more specifically his erection into her belly.
“On the bed.” She was already breathless.
“Wait here,” he ordered and returned a minute later, grinning as he spun the blindfold around his finger.
She could feel the familiar clenching deep inside as he reached her again and his mouth found hers.
“I’ve missed you.” He pulled her hair back to expose her neck. “What would you like to do?”
“You.”
“Soon,” he assured her. “Let’s play first.”
The room went dark as he slipped the blindfold over her head until it completely covered her eyes.
He teased and tormented her breasts with his teeth, tongue and fingers through the delicate fabric of her lingerie.
“James,” she moaned.
“Where are your keys, Tasha?”
Why did he want her keys? Maybe he was putting the dead lock on…what had he got planned if they needed locking in?
“On the table,” she replied regardless of her inner questions and any possible concerns.
He picked them up, then led her from room to room before she heard the front door open, the chill of air washed over her before the door shut and he led her into another room. What was he doing? She felt really disorientated. He picked her up so she was hanging over his shoulder.
She was tempted to peep from under the blindfold which is when he did his mind reading trick. “No peeking.”
A series of giggles left her mouth which were punished, or rewarded, with a smack to her behind.
“I like this outfit baby, your ass is already out and ready for me.” He set her down on her feet.
She had absolutely no idea which room she was in now; it smelt odd, unfamiliar, but maybe that was because she was blindfolded. He walked her backwards until she felt the bed behind her and lowered her down onto it before lying next to her. He gently ran his fingers up and down her body until they settled on the blindfold that he pulled off, revealing her location. The reintroduction of light caused Tasha to wince and close her eyes again, but as she opened them she realised she was no longer in her flat. This was next door, she remembered it from when she and Lucy had viewed it. The room had recently had a lick of paint, but it was obvious where they were.
She got to her feet and looked down at him still lying on the bed staring at her.
“What have you done?” she asked accusingly.
“Taken out a six month lease with an option to extend to a year,” he answered flatly.
“Why? I have a home next door and I won’t be here too much anyway,” she cried.
His face remained expressionless. “You, we need somewhere bigger. You have Pippa and Dan to think of and I have you and Lizzie to consider. This place has enough room for you, me and whoever else we may want to stay. As for your home next door, when you are only a fleeting visitor it won’t be your home, it will be Lucy’s and Ryan’s. You have the edge of a shelf in your own bathroom and diminishing shampoo levels, that is not a home, Tasha. I used to be amused when I was in college and heard my house-mates bumping uglies in the next room, but I am so over it now. I don’t want to hear Ryan and Lucy at it at three in the morning and am even less inclined to think of them hearing us. This was all sorted before Pippa chose to live with your grandparents. We discussed it.”
“No, we didn’t discuss it. You made a comment about me needing somewhere bigger and now this,” she accused.
“If you don’t like it we can get somewhere else. If you still need a London base after the lease is up we can buy somewhere, somewhere more fitting,” he said calmly.
“It’s not about not liking it. It’s about you just turning up with a fate accomplie, all Mr Control Freak. You don’t even see that you have done anything wrong. What do you mean somewhere more fitting?” She sounded and felt exasperated.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes,” she admitted reluctantly.
“Then fate accomplie is acceptable. I am Mr Control Freak, so I haven’t done anything wrong.” He watched her from his position lying on the bed, propped up on his side.
“You are infuriating, James.”
“Right back at ya.”
He smiled at her, softening her slightly.
“You still haven’t explained what you meant about somewhere more fitting.”
“Somewhere bigger, a more secure property, a property unknown to your parents, and most importantly has en suite bathroom with a shower cubicle and a bath big enough for two.” He grinned, hoping this pointless debate was coming to an end. “Come here. Check our new bed out with me.”
She stared at him and was still irritated by his attitude that because he acknowledged the fact he was a control freak that this made anything he did perfectly acceptable and she just had to accept it. However, she could feel her irritation subsiding as he lay there looking at her, waiting for her to join him. Maybe she wouldn’t. Then he did it, the thing that ensured she would be doing exactly as he asked. He summoned her to him with the curling of his finger and suddenly she was there, under him as he devoured her mouth and before she knew it she was naked and writhing around calling his name.
“So, do we have anything other than a bed?” asked Tasha as she lay across Jim’s chest with his arms and legs wrapped around her.
“Do we need anything else?”
“Not today, but possibly, long term.”
“I suppose you could have a point. There are integrated appliances in the kitchen, built in wardrobes and a delivery of some other furniture this afternoon, so if you could avoid discussing being trapped on furniture with the delivery
men I would really appreciate it,” he said curtly as she realised he was aware of her entrapment on the stairs with the bed and the delivery man.
“Were you there?” she asked nervously.
“Better than that. I was in here and the delivery man told me if I didn’t like the place he would happily move in because the girl next door, who looks like the ‘bird’ off the TV is really hot and she gave him the come on out on the stairs. She told him ‘it wasn’t the first time she’d been trapped on a mattress.’ So, would you like to discuss appropriateness again, Natasha?” he asked as she looked up at him and cringed.
“It sounds bad when you put it like that.”
“Because it is bad, Tasha, inappropriate you could say. You need to think before you speak. That guy really thought you were interested in him and that is potentially dangerous for you. You and your ass,” he said as he smacked her behind firmly.
“Sorry,” she said and explained, “I didn’t think it would come across like that. I actually don’t think before I speak, but I will try to. Are you mad at me again?”
He smiled at her. “I was when he told me about your encounter and I considered coming straight back and either spanking your ass beyond red or torturing you in some other way,” he grinned.
“But?” she asked.
“But I was still horny after our sexting and I wanted you to be here with me on equal terms not all pissed and frustrated. Also, when I came back and saw how hot and sexy you looked most of the madness subsided,” he revealed, pulling her closer.
“I booked my flight,” she said, making him smile.
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